Brief Profile of Key Experts and Staff
| Domenico Tuccinardi, Project Director | |
Mr. Tuccinardi is responsible for the delivery of all Project results, the integrated functioning of each of the Project’s units, for the overall coordination with the relevant EC services and the Consortium’s partners. Mr. Tuccinardi has extensive experience in managing electoral observation and electoral assistance programs in several regions of the world. Among his main appointments, Mr. Tuccinardi directed the OSCE external registration and voting programmes in Bosnia between 1999 and 2000. As OSCE Deputy Director of Elections in Bosnia (2001-2002), he designed the transfer of the election administration functions to the newly created Election Commission of Bosnia and represented the OSCE as Delegated Commissioner. Mr. Tuccinardi was also the Election Administration Specialist of the Planning Team for the Iraq Transitional Elections of 2005, and later on led the EU project in support of the same elections. More recently he was Special Advisor for the EU to the “Ad Hoc Referendum Commission on the Independence of Montenegro” and managed the ACE Practitioners' Network. Among his main appointments in electoral observation, Mr. Tuccinardi was Deputy Chief Observer for the EU Election Observation Missions in Venezuela (2005) and Nicaragua (2006). Mr. Tuccinardi is also one of the co-authors of the EU Methodological Guide on Electoral Assistance, the EC-UNDP-IDEA Training Course on Effective Electoral Assistance and collaborates on other specialised publications in the field of electoral management, voter registration and technology. |
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| Gillian McCormack, Training Coordinator | |
Dr Gillian McCormack (UK) is responsible for the definition of the training methodology and the design of the NEEDS training courses. Gillian has over ten years' experience in training design and coordination and is a specialist in media frameworks for elections and media monitoring methodologies. She led 12 media monitoring missions for elections in the former Soviet Union for the European Institute of Media and participated in four EU EOMs as Media Expert. Most recently she was Director of Development and Team Leader for an EU technical assistance project for the media in the Russian Federation. Gillian holds a PhD in Media and Language and has published extensively in the field of elections and media. |
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| Franck Balme, Domestic Observer and Regional Network Coordinator | |
Mr. Balme is responsible for leading the Project’s initiatives to provide targeted support and specialised assistance to domestic observer groups and civil society organisations in coordination with the Consortium’s regional partners (EISA and IIDH-CAPEL) and is responsible for the establishment of a global network of domestic observation groups. An International Law Graduate and holder of two MAs in International Law and Management and International Law and Relationships, Mr. Balme is a specialist in electoral observation and electoral technical assistance. Over the past ten years, Mr. Balme has acquired experience in a large number of ACP countries, including post-conflict scenarios (such as Afghanistan and DRC), through appointments in UN, CoE, IFES, IOM and EU missions. Overall Mr. Balme has participated in more than 20 electoral missions with responsibilities in field coordination, training delivery and management, especially in EU EOMs. |
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| Khaldoun Dudin, ITC Coordinator | |
Mr. Dudin is responsible for the overall IT framework of the NEEDS Project. For the last ten years, Mr. Dudin has been working for IT companies such as HP, Dell & Cisco. He has extensive experience in software development, communication systems, wireless applications, networking, database analysis and security software applications in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Cyprus and Germany. Khaldoun was the ITC Manager for the EU Election Support Project to Iraq, ITC Manager and Coordinator for the EU Election Observation Missions to Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Fiji Islands, Mauritania, Togo, Indonesia (Aceh), Nepal, Kenya, Bhutan, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania, ITC Coordinator for the EU Electoral Assistance Project to Lebanon. He holds a BSc in computer science and communications. |
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| Oana Ungureanu, Finance and Administrative assistant | |
Oana Ungureanu is responsible for the coordination of finance and budget activities as well as providing administrative support for the office. She has extensive experience in financial services, public relations and administration. Her most recent job was of financial analyst within the banking system. She graduated in economics from Bucharest Academy of Economic Sciences. |
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Arba Murati, Logistical Support and Administrative Assistant |
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Arba Murati is responsible for coordinating all travel and conference arrangements as well as providing administrative support for the office. She previously worked as Research and Administrative Assistant for the ACE Practitioners' Network at International IDEA. Ms. Murati has a BA in Political Science and is currently finishing her Masters in ‘Euroculture’ and in ‘Transformation of the Baltic Sea Region’. |
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| Said Tahri, Administrative Assistant | |
Said Tahri is responsible for providing administrative support for the office. He previously worked for International IDEA and as an Associate at EC-UNDP Joint Task Force on Electoral Assistance. Mr. Tahri has a BA in Political Science and an MA in International Relations from Universite Libre de Bruxelles. |
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